“Dad” is a regular noun with three different plural or possessive forms. You will come across “dads,” “dad’s,” and “dad’s” in different contexts.
We’ll teach you when each one applies and what they mean.
Dads or Dads’ or Dad’s?
“Dads” is the plural form. No possession is used here (i.e. “three dads”). You should use “dads'” as the plural possessive form where multiple dads own something (i.e. “the dads’ houses”). “Dad’s” is the singular possessive form, where only one dad owns something (i.e. “my dad’s house”).
Here’s a reminder to help you figure out the different forms:
| Singular | Dad |
| Plural | Dads |
| Singular possessive | Dad’s |
| Plural possessive | Dads’ |
You can change “dad” to “dad’s” when showing ownership in your writing. Adding the apostrophe and “s” after the noun is a common grammar rule, allowing you to show one dad owning an object (or group of objects). For example, you might say, “my dad’s car.”
“Dads” becomes “dads'” when adding possession to the plural form. This is the plural possessive form, where the apostrophe shows that multiple “dads” own an object or group of objects. For example, you might hear, “the dads’ cars are finally here.”
Dad’s
“Dad’s” is the singular possessive form. This is the easier of the two possessive forms to use. It works when one dad owns an object (or multiple objects). Depending on the context, you might find the object before or after the possessive form.
It’s very likely that the object will come right after “dad’s.” This helps the reader understand the direct ownership:
- I’m going to visit my dad’s house again. He’s not there, but I have some things I need to pick up.
- You should see my dad’s car. It’s such a great specimen! I hope I can drive it some day.
Here’s how it might look if the object comes first (though it’s not as common):
- That bag is my dad’s.
Dads’
“Dads'” is known as the plural possessive form. This form works when many dads own a group of similar objects. The objects owned by the “dads” will always come after the plural possessive form (i.e. “the dad’s motorbikes”).
The plural possessive form usually owns plural objects. This makes it much clearer for the reader, showing that many entities are present and owned.
You only need an apostrophe after the plural form “dads.” Since there is already an “s” at the end of “dads,” there’s no reason to include an extra one.
- Many of the dads’ children have gathered to discuss the issues here. Maybe we should listen to them.
- Those dads’ cars have had a bit of work done. Do you think they’ll let us drive them?
Dads
“Dads” is the most basic form covered in this article. You should use it to refer to many dads in the sentence with no ownership present (i.e. no owned object after the noun form).
You should add an “s” to the end of a common noun when multiple instances are present. This shows the reader that you’re using the plural form, allowing them to understand how many people they’re reading about.
- Sharon has two dads and couldn’t be prouder of them. It’s quite a remarkable story, really.
- I think I heard that their dads would be coming along to sort this out. Let’s hope that’s true.
Conclusion
Remember, “dads” is only the plural form. It refers to multiple dads in the same sentence with no possession.
“Dad’s” is the singular possessive form. It refers to one dad owning an object that comes before (i.e. “that is my dad’s”) or after (i.e. “my dad’s birthday”).
“Dads'” is the plural possessive form. It refers to multiple dads owning an object that comes after it (i.e. “the dads’ gathering”).